Some Embodiments are Directed to an X-Ray Diffractometer, and more Particularly, some Embodiments are Directed to a Diffractometer for Analyzing the Structure of a Material from the Scattering Pattern Produced when an X-Ray Beam Interacts with it.
An X-ray diffractometer is a measuring instrument for analyzing the structure of a material from the scattering pattern produced when an X-ray beam interacts with it. Patent application EP0497406 describes such an X-ray diffractometer device. An X-ray source emits a divergent X-ray beam that irradiates the surface of a sample under investigation. By X-ray diffraction this beam is scattered in directions obeying Braggs law. The scattered beams are subsequently detected by a detector rotatable around a first rotation point. This rotation ensures that all, or at least a large fraction of all scattered beams can be detected sequentially. To enlarge the accessible number of scattered beams the angle at which the X-ray beam hits the sample surface can be varied. To accomplish this variation the sample is fixed by a sample holder on a first arm, which is in turn connected to a second arm at the first rotation point. The second arm is rotatably connected to the X-ray source. The center of rotation for the detector coincides with the first rotation point. When the sample is dragged along a main axis of the X-ray beam by a spindle, the connections between the first and second arm force the sample to rotate as well and thereby vary the angle between incident beam and sample surface.